


Say It

by riosnecktattoo



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Beth is a fan of Rio's nose stud, Canon Compliant, Canon Typical Idiocy, Desk Sex, Edging, F/M, He can tell, Post S3, SUPER in to each other but extra grumpy about it, for them anyway, i guess, they're in a 'good' place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:21:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25265272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riosnecktattoo/pseuds/riosnecktattoo
Summary: Beth & Rio's unresolved tension comes to a boil during a late night meeting at Boland Bubbles. Beth has tHouGHts about Rio's shiny nose stud.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 55
Kudos: 295





	Say It

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(.ツ)_/¯ <\- (Rio with a nose stud)

“I’d like you to go.”

Rio scoffs, irritated as he drags a hand down his jaw. “I’m sure you would but we ain’t done here.”

Beth rolls her eyes. It felt like they’d been sitting in her office for hours and nothing was getting any clearer.

First he had an issue with the books, claiming they didn’t add up. Suggesting she was shorting him on purpose. And, sure, she has previous, but they were way past that now. Both their cuts were smaller because she genuinely had to invest some of the washed cash back in to the business. After the damage caused by the break in a few weeks ago, damage he’d _seen_ with his own two eyes, a lot of the windows had to be fixed. A new security system installed. Stock replaced.

It felt like he was being difficult on purpose tonight. More so than usual. They’d been better, almost like _them_ again recently. Like an ugly page had been turned. They just had to work together and try not to strangle one another. But now his restless energy was completely focused on her. He couldn’t just take his cut and leave. He had to find a reason to frustrate her. And she hated how easily she was taking the bait.

Beth pushes her back hard in to the chair, hearing the wood creak in the silence as she grinds her teeth a little. It’s late. She’d like to lock up and go home. She’d like to get away from him. Always needing to decompress after these meetings. Her skin prickly with it. With _him_. A troubling echo of tension she recognises but refuses to let overwhelm her anymore.

But it didn’t help him looking like _that_.

His dark blue shirt, tight across his chest with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow. His beard a little longer than usual. That silver stud in his nose catching the light, a constant surprise to her how much she likes it on him. He’d caught her eyeing it a few times, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, daring her to say something about the new piece of jewellery right in the middle of his face, but obviously she never did. He’s wearing the bigger diamond one tonight, and the sudden urge to run her fingertips down the bridge of his nose makes her hand twitch.

_Is this how he feels?_ She wonders. _Before he reaches out to brush the hair off my face?_

__

She just wants to get away and have these thoughts to herself. Privately. In her room. Where nobody has to know how she goes to bed and thinks of him. How she lets her hand slip between her thighs most nights trying to conjure up his touch. How frustrated she gets when she can’t. She wants to be somewhere where this isn’t written all over her face right in front of him.

__

But he’s still settled in the seat opposite her. Finding a new reason to argue every time she offers a comeback to the previous issue. If she didn’t know any better she’d say he _wanted_ to stay here with her, that he was enjoying her company, even if it meant fighting. And there’s something written on his face too, something dangerous about his stare. _Probably just pissed about his cut,_ she reasons.

__

They’ve just finished debating over Mick. She had suggested that _maybe_ him hanging around the shop floor, ominously milling about and offering very odd and unconventional Spa advice to potential customers wasn’t really good for business and if he could _please_ return the luxury barbecue tong set she knows he helped himself to the last time he stopped by it would be greatly appreciated, when Rio suddenly turned it around on her, bringing up a member of staff _he’d_ like _her_ to get rid of.

__

Dean.

__

She wasn’t doing this with him. Not tonight.

__

“I don’t have anything else to say about it. I’m not firing Dean.”

__

“Yeah, actually you are.” He says it like she’s a child. Explaining something to her very simply so she’ll understand and she briefly considers launching her stapler at him.

__

She grips the arms of the chair tighter instead. “He’s too involved.” she bites out.

__

“Yeah, that’s kinda the point.”

__

“No, I mean – he has to believe that -”

__

“Believe what?” he interrupts, leaning forward in his chair, “That he got a say in any of this? Baby, watchu think this is? You think _my_ guy’s an issue? You got a mess waiting to happen with him and I ain’t cleaning it up for you.”

__

Beth flusters. It feels odd talking about Dean like this with Rio. But she can’t cut him out. She _can’t_ cut him out. _Not yet_. She wasn’t ready. Couldn’t she just keep him occupied? Keep him off her back? Keep everything as stable as possible. Keep her family together. For a little while longer? “He’s good at what he does.” she finally offers, but it’s not as strong as it needed to be and she knows it.

__

Rio’s jaw rocks as he glares at her. “He’s dead weight.”

__

“He’s my problem.” Beth steels herself, refusing to shrink under his gaze.

__

Rio drops his chin to his chest, a cruel laugh escaping him as he nods slowly, “Yain’t wrong about that.”

__

What had changed? Why now? He hadn’t seemed bothered by Dean’s involvement at all before tonight, clearly aware it was minimal and nothing to do with their side of the business, so – why the sudden urge to get rid?

__

Beth thinks back to last week, when Dean had stayed later than usual and suggested taking her out to dinner after work. Misplaced, irritating hope in his eyes that she might still be interested in salvaging their marriage. She wasn’t. Also Rio was coming for his cut and she really didn’t want them crossing paths.

__

And she just – didn’t want to go with him.

__

She’d made an excuse and tried to soften the blow by plastering on a face full of fake compassion and a chirpy suggestion of _maybe next week?_ that she hoped he’d forget about. Which he did, of course. But he’d believed her concern too well, grabbing on to her shoulder with his clumsy hand and leaning in to give her a cold kiss on the cheek. She’d just stood there and offered a tight smile that dropped from her face the moment he left the office.

__

Rio had shown up only a few moments later and hadn’t stayed long. Something curious about his blunt responses where normally he’d have some snarky comment for her or want to talk about the cash.

__

She’d thought Rio had arrived just after Dean left. Now she wasn’t so sure.

__

She shifts in her seat, a little uncomfortable with the implications of her train of thought, before clearing her throat, “He’s not going to be an issue. You have my word.”

__

Rio pouts and furrows his brow, mocking, restlessly tapping his hands on his thigh, “Your word, huh? Ain’t that a relief.”

__

“Well, he sells more than anyone here so unless you want to take his place -”

__

She stops herself too late. Rio’s eyebrows shooting up his forehead as he lifts his chin to slowly look at her again. She can see he’s amused at the image of himself in a pastel polo-shirt, clipboard in hand acting like he gives a shit about filtration systems or number of jets, but he’s also annoyed by the inference he’d want to take Dean’s place in her life in _any way_.

__

“I don’t.” he replies slowly, popping the _t_ for emphasis. His eyes fixed on hers, suddenly serious.

__

Beth fiddles with her shirt, tugging on a loose thread by one of the buttons on her wrist. “Good. Then can we drop it? I have - - somewhere to be.” She doesn’t, but this room is beginning to stifle her and she doesn’t like the direction of this conversation. She stands abruptly to punctuate her point, keeping her focus down on the desk as she gathers up her things. Hoping that can be the end of it.

__

But Rio’s husky voice cuts through the quiet, “Dinner?” he asks pointedly, and she freezes.

__

Any doubt Rio had witnessed her conversation with Dean disappears as she slowly straightens up and meets his eyes. She can tell he regrets saying it, revealing that he had listened in on them. That he thinks he’s keeping her from the dinner she had suggested for tonight, even though she’d had zero intention of it happening.

__

She smooths out her expression, keeping her eyes on his as she continues tidying her desk. “Yes. Dinner.” she lies. He blinks slowly in response, chewing on his lip as he studies her.

__

“If you’ll excuse me.” she steps out from her space behind the desk, coming to stand by the edge of it, gesturing him towards the door, “We’re done.”

__

Rio looks up at her from where he’s seated, moving his hands on to the armrests to slowly push up. He keeps his eyes on hers as he rises to stand, painfully slow, the tendons in his forearms flexing in a distracting way, until he comes to his full height and can look down at her. He steps out from his chair and moves closer, coming to stand right in front of her. His gaze dragging down her body and back up again, like he remembers every inch of her skin, hesitating at her mouth before looking in her eyes again. “No we’re not.” He whispers.

__

She can tell he’s playing with her. That he’s intentionally trying to throw her off balance. It doesn’t stop it from working.

__

The breath she was holding shudders out of her mouth, swallowing deeply as she watches him lick his lips. He’s blinking slowly as he watches her, his hypnotic appraisal causing her to sway toward him slightly.

__

Her skin prickles with the tension she’s been desperately ignoring. That she’s shoved down so deep she’s scared to look it in the face. She hates it. So frustrated with both of them for still acting like this. She hates that they can still do this to one another. That she still wants him after everything. That her _need_ for him is more violent than any act. On a constant tightrope between rage or a kiss.

__

And she’s wobbling now, unsure which way she’ll fall.

__

“I’m leaving.”

__

“Course you are.” He purrs.

__

“You need to go.” she commands, injecting more conviction. His cockiness helping her clear her head.

__

“Mmhmmm.” He hums, and she can see in the corner of her eye his hand beginning to lift toward her.

__

She throws her arm out suddenly, blocking it as she steps away. “Stop.” She blurts out, breathless. Confused. Angry at herself for _wanting_ him to touch her. “You can’t - You can’t -” she rambles.

__

“Can’t what?” and he’s annoyed now, too. _Good_. Annoyed is better. Annoyed is safer.

__

She doesn’t want to do _this_. Not while she’s not even sure what she’s feeling. What he’s feeling. What if she got it all wrong? What if he still hates her? What if he’s laughing at her when he makes her blush, when he makes her lose her breath? What if she’d just imagined the affection returning to his eyes? She doesn’t want to know either way. The impasse was less frightening.

__

“You can’t do _this.”_ She gestures erratically in to the air between them. “There’s no - we can’t – we can’t _go back.”_ And it’s strangled. Full of resentment and longing. And _rage_.

__

He’s just staring at her. A calm facade hiding a storm.

__

“That’s not what I want.” He finally mumbles.

__

“What do you want then!? Huh?!” She yells, voice strained at how he’s giving her nothing. Still, he just watches her with that penetrating focus, “God! What!? Will you answer me for once? Anything approaching honesty might be nice!”

__

That sets him off at least. “Honesty? Forreal?” he steps closer, his eyes burning, “You wanna talk about honesty, mama? See that’s real funny to me, after all the shit you pulled.”

__

“That’s in the past!”

__

“Oh, yeah? Who decided that? You? Aw, see, I never got that memo, darlin!” he’s manic now. Almost a caricature of himself in how animated he’s getting.

__

“How can you act like this is all my fault?! Cause it isn’t! It just _isn’t!”_ she shoves at his chest then. “Why does it have to be like this?!” she shoves him again and he lets her push him backward, “ _You_ said we were good! That we were just _business_. You said that! Why isn’t that enough!?”

__

He moves to grab her hands from his chest, taking a hold of her wrists and lightly shaking them to bring her attention back to his face, pulling her in tight.

__

“Shit, Elizabeth,” he rumbles, his voice scratchy and pained as he stares in to her eyes, inches from her face, “You think that’s ever gonna be enough for us?”

__

Everything slows down for a moment. Her heartbeat thrashing in her ears, the blood pumping in her veins almost audible in the quiet. His eyes searching hers furiously. And he’s so close. He’s _so close_ to her and it’s too much. She can smell the warm, earthy scent of his skin, can taste his breath as it washes over. His mouth hanging open and that obscene bottom lip of his quivering slightly before he sucks it back in to his mouth, biting down on it hard.

__

His body is pressed against hers, but when his grip tightens on her wrists, it causes her to push against him and a tiny moan escapes her lips before she can stop it.

__

That’s all it takes for him to snap.

__

He lunges forward, his lips searching out hers and harshly colliding, stealing her breath. He furiously bites at her lip before sucking on it and sliding his tongue in to her mouth, the deep moan at the back of his throat as he tastes her causing every muscle in her body to shiver and release. Beth melts in to him. The hands he’s holding on to so tightly desperately trying to grab for purchase on his shirt as she almost falls backwards with the force of his desire.

__

He angles her body, guiding her back until her hip hits the desk, making it so he can push against her with more fury, sliding his thigh between her legs.

__

Beth arches against him, can feel how wet she already is at the thought of having him inside her again, struggling for air in between his unrelenting kisses, struggling to contain herself, to understand how this is happening. But knowing that she wants nothing more in this moment than him. Him all over. Everywhere. That she wants to touch him so badly she might cry. But he won’t let go of her _hands_.

__

She tugs against his hold, but he still won’t let go. Too lost in her. She tugs again. Nothing.

__

She breaks the kiss, “Will you let my hands go!” It comes out so stroppy, the remnants of their fight still thrumming between them, that she can practically feel the pink flush creeping down her neck and under her collar.

__

Rio’s eyes are black, his pupils totally blown as he looks down at her. And it’s there, naked and unmistakable. The affection. She gets swept up for a moment in his blind hunger for her, before tugging on her wrists again. “Will you -” she urges, breathlessly frustrated. His eyelashes flutter and he seems to understand, smirking as he lets her go.

__

She grabs him back to her immediately, pulling on his shirt and curving in to his hands as he wraps them around her waist. Sliding her palms up to his shoulders, feeling more in control as she licks over his lips, relishing how soft they are, mewling against his mouth. _She’d missed his mouth so much_.

__

She can feel his hands move up and over the front of her shirt, her breath faltering at how hard he is in his jeans as he rocks against her impatiently, the feel of his hands stroking over her breasts, lightly kneading them through the fabric, before he gathers up the edges of it where it sits on her collarbone in to his fists, almost wringing it out.

__

He releases her lips, panting against her as he rests his forehead on hers and looks down at her chest. At the shirt he’s pulling on tightly.

__

“I hate this fuckin’ shirt.” He snarls as he pinches it in his fingers, dropping his face to kiss at her jawline fiercely. Licking down to bite at her earlobe.

__

Her eyes roll back in her head as his hot mouth sucks at the tender spot at the nape of her neck, groaning as she regains sense enough to question him. She likes this shirt. _How dare he_. “What’s wrong with it?” she bristles, half-heartedly smacking him on the back.

__

He doesn’t answer. She can hear him moan right next to her ear and it’s then she realises: It’s not the first time he’s gone to take this shirt off her. It’s the black one with little blue flowers she’d worn _that_ day. That had gotten stuck on her wrist when he’d tried to pull it down her arms. Beth remembers her awkward flailing trying to wriggle out of the cotton that was bunching up stubbornly at her hand. But he had smiled. Amused and warm. Like he had when he’d noticed her mismatched socks. The memory of him stroking his rough hands down her arms and gently tugging it off of her once she’d stopped thrashing, his eyes lazily staring at her heaving chest as he did so, is sudden and sharp in her mind.

__

He hates this shirt. It reminds him of that day. Of how good it was. Before it went to hell.

__

He isn’t gentle now. Ripping it open and down her arms so harshly she can hear the sleeve tear before it falls off her to the ground.

__

He moves back from her neck so he can take her in, rubbing his thumbs over the thin black lace of her bra and staring in awe at how her nipples harden beneath his palms. The feel of his big hands, the cold metal of his ring pressing in to her hot skin making her throb between her thighs.

__

She reaches up quickly to the top button of his shirt, fumbling with it, wanting it _off him_ right now. She gets the first two undone and then looks at the million others still to go and makes a strangled cry of frustration.

__

Something ridiculous takes over her when she decides she’s going to do what he did with her shirt and tear it off. She digs her tiny hands in to the thick fabric near the collar and yanks down hard, but of course it goes nowhere. Rio laughs at her attempt to copy him and it’d be sweet if she wasn’t so annoyed.

__

She frantically returns to the old fashioned method, going as fast as she can, fuelled by her irritation. “Why do you have to wear these stupid shirts with all these stupid buttons?!”

__

He watches her patiently, hands kneading her hips, making her roll against him while she’s trying to focus. Tormenting her.

__

“Why you gotta stress so much, darlin?” he mocks.

__

She growls as she slides the final button open, stroking her hands up his chest and pulling it off him.

__

She comes face to face with his scars and it takes her breath away a moment. The way the three patches on his chest catch the light differently. It isn’t as bad as she’d imagined it, and she finds herself trying to remember how exactly those patches of skin had looked before.

__

Rio doesn’t stand for it, lifting his hand under her chin and bringing her gaze back up to his. “Nah we ain’t doin’ that.” He commands, and pushes straight back in to kissing her.

__

He pops her jeans open and slides his hands down over her ass, squeezing her up in to him, then drops away from her as he tears them off her legs, pulling her shoes off with them.

__

When he stands back up he leans in, grabbing under her thighs and lifting her so she’s sitting on the edge of the desk, hoisting her legs up around his waist, then grabbing her face in his palms.

__

“Why you gotta wear all those tight fuckin’ jeans, huh? Driving me crazy.” He rasps against her lips, infuriated with her.

__

Beth fumbles before he kisses her angrily and as he releases her she blurts out, “Yeah, well, why did you get that nose stud?!”

__

He collapses in to her as he laughs warmly against her mouth. She has no idea why she said that, but he just looked so _good_ , the little diamond right in front of her eyes and she doesn’t feel like pretending she’s not in to it right now. The feel of his smile against her making her heart hurt.

__

“I knew you liked it.” he growls, cocking an eyebrow as he pulls back to look her over. Enjoying her blush.

__

“I do no _\- ughhhhhh_ ” she chokes as his fingers push in to her panties, stroking over her wet folds, teasing her with his touch. His breath comes out ragged as he looks down at his hand and the way her hips are rocking in to his palm, wanting more. “Yeah, you do, ma.”

__

Beth’s eyes squeeze shut at his touch, feeling his fingers gently push in to her, sliding in to her so easily, slowly pulsing in and out, the feeling she’d been chasing for so long vibrating through her with such clarity she can’t stop the little whimpering noises escaping her lips.

__

Rio curses under his breath, “So fuckin wet for me.” Before he abruptly pulls his fingers out, causing her to almost sob at the loss of him, but yelping instead when he tears her panties off completely, pushing his jeans down and reaching in to his boxers to pull his cock in to his hands as he lines up with her aching center, bringing his eyes up to stare in to hers as he pushes in to her agonisingly slow. Their mouths open in silent screams against each other as Beth adjusts to the size of him inside her.

__

Had it always felt this good? It must have. She knows she’s never felt anything like it, the way he fills her up, but her memories clearly weren’t doing it justice.

__

He slowly pushes all the way in, grunting as she clenches around him, all her nerves so sensitive she could almost cry with the tidal wave of sensation.

__

He starts moving his hips against her, thrusting in and out of her languidly as his hands grab on to her thighs. A relentless tide, sweeping her away with him.

__

Beth holds on to his shoulders, her fingernails digging in to the blades of his back as they cling to one another. Rolling her hips up to meet his, squeezing him with her legs to feel him deeper, _deeper_ , the sounds escaping her mouth echoing throughout the entire building.

__

God, she’d missed this. She missed _him_.

__

She thinks she might have accidentally said that out loud because Rio lets out a strangled, primal sound in to her shoulder and bites down, his hips moving faster, faster, the throbbing inside her getting more intense, her muscles fluttering around his cock as he slides in and out of her, and she can tell he’s right there with her, his fingertips bruising her ass as he squeezes her, as his control starts to slip and his hips stutter against her.

__

He brings one hand up to her throat, gripping it tightly, and the other hand between them, finding her clit, brushing his thumb over her, making her scream as she comes, pulsing around him as her vision goes blurry. She clenches around his cock again and he chokes against her ear _Jesus - -_ _fuck, Elizabeth_ before he's coming too. Gripping her tight in to him and biting at her chest so she knows she’s going to be covered in his marks. The thought making her tingle everywhere.

__

She holds on to his neck as he brings their foreheads to rest together. Panting and savouring the feeling of having this again.

__

She moves her hand to his face, her fingers lightly brushing over the stud as she strokes down the bridge of his nose in the way she had wanted to touch him earlier. His eyes flutter shut and she leans in to kiss his cheek slowly, catching the glint of the diamond in the corner of her eye. Before she realises what she’s doing, she plants a kiss closer to it, right near his nose.

__

He hums, a content laugh against her skin that makes his body shift and she clenches around him again at the feeling. Rio grunts in response as he plants his hands on the desk either side of her hips while she continues to hold on to him.

__

“So you like the stud, huh?”

__

She’s never going to hear the end of this.

__

“Please stop talking.”

__

He’s annoying, sure, but it’s his voice, gruff and wrecked, vibrating through her as she shivers through the last swell of her orgasm, that makes heat pool low in her belly all over again. Her hands tightening on his biceps unconsciously.

__

He notices, of course. Smirking as he reads how her body reacts to him.

__

“Come on. Admit it.”

__

Beth blinks her eyes open and is met with his smug face smiling at her.

__

“No.” she grins back, defiant.

__

He looks her right in the eye as he pulls out of her, enjoying the way she gasps as he does so.

__

“You know you can’t lie for shit, right?”

__

Beth huffs out a breath, ruffling her bangs with it and he reaches out to brush the hair out of her eyes, her skin feeling hot and clammy under his touch.

__

“You can’t make me say it.” she’s determined to get him to drop it, but it was the worst thing to say, she can tell by the mischievous look in his eyes. “Is that right?” he drawls, dropping his eyes explicitly down to her cunt. Her legs try to close instinctually, feeling too exposed under his gaze but his hands come up to hold her thighs apart, licking his lips as he watches his cum drip out of her.

__

He drops to his knees, the image of his face between her legs making her keen desperately. He smooths his big hands over the tops of her thighs, keeping eye contact with her as he looks up through his thick eyelashes, stroking his hands down to her knees slowly, gripping her kneecaps gently and guiding them further open, her calves coming to rest over his shoulders as he moves in closer.

__

She can feel his hot breath against her and the anticipation of his mouth has her digging her nails in to the wood of the desk.

__

He bites his way up the insides of her thighs before he dips in to her, licking a line up her soaking wet folds and making a guttural noise she’s never heard from him before in the back of his throat. The feel of his beard tickling against her has her lifting her hand to grip the back of his head and he laughs in to her. She’s still so sensitive from having him inside her that when he slips his tongue in and out she’s already starting to whine with the intensity of it.

__

He can tell she’s getting close again, slipping two fingers in to her as he sucks at her clit, the delicious tension singing throughout her whole body as he laps at her when he suddenly pulls his mouth away and slows the pulse of his fingers, denying her release.

__

“Say it.”

__

“What?!” Beth cries.

__

“Say you like it.”

__

She snaps her eyes down to meet his and he angles his face ever so slightly, the silver stud glistening wet from where she’d been writhing against his face.

__

“ _Uhhh_ , god no.” she bites out, trying to chase her orgasm but his fingers are slow, keeping her just on the edge.

__

“Elizabeth.” He growls. “Say it.”

__

“ _No.”_ she stares at him, unwillingly to relent.

__

He leans back in slowly, whispering against her cunt, breathy, impatient and with a need he’s struggling to control, “Say it or I won’t let you come.” Flicking his tongue out quickly to ghost over her. Beth wails.

__

“Fuck – yes, _uhhhh_ , okay I like it, _please_ -”

__

He latches his mouth back on to her with a deep moan and his tongue drives her insane. Her orgasm crashing over her almost instantly, feeling totally boneless as he continues to lap at her. In the end it’s so overwhelming she has to push his head away and he laughs as he wipes his hands down over his wet beard.

__

She collapses back on the desk a little, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes are closed when she feels his lips brushing against hers in a tender kiss. In stark contrast to his bruising ones from before.

__

“Now was that so hard?” he murmurs as he pulls away, a quirk to his lips.

__

“I’ll get you back for that.” She sighs, feeling shaky and a little shy under his gaze.

__

“Yeah? I got your word?” he teases, copying her tone from earlier. His voice thick with lust, black eyes swimming with bad intentions.

__

And then they just look at each other for a moment. Wordless understanding that they _know -_ they know it’s a mess. But they’re always going to want this.

__

Rio steps back and tucks himself back in to his boxers, pulling his jeans up to sit on his hips again and zipping them. Beth just watches him, her shirt is in tatters anyway.

__

“You miss dinner?” He asks as he slips his shirt up over his arms, lifting his face to hers as he re-buttons it.

__

“There was no dinner.” Beth assures him, and Rio nods, almost pleased he got it wrong, biting back a grin as he looks away.

__

He’s restless again. Feeling like he should leave. Feeling like their time might be up. Not sure what he should say now and when Beth doesn’t offer him anything as he turns to her, his eyes imploring, he gives in. He stoops to pick up the black duffel with his cut in and then his eyes flicker back to her, raking down her body as she sits there in just her bra.

__

Their eyes meet. Rio clears his throat and adjusts his hold on the handle of the bag. “Yeah,” he drawls, heavy with something she can’t name. “Aight then.” And he turns to go.

__

“Rio, -” she blurts out and he whips his head round to look at her, the low light of the office glancing over his cheekbones.

__

He watches her patiently, but she can see his hand straining on the handle of the door.

__

“Say it.” He urges.

__

Beth’s hands tremble as she reaches up behind herself to unclasp her bra, peeling the straps down and letting it fall away from her to the floor, leaving her completely naked before him. She’s never felt so vulnerable, but she doesn’t want this to end. This truce. This night. Whatever is happening between them right now, she just wants it again and again, and the way his jaw goes slack and his eyes go hazy as he watches her makes her feel beautiful and bold.

__

“I’d like you to stay.”

__

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
